IFTD: ‘Ecstatic’ Tenkara USA comes of age

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↑ A rod, line and fly – all that is needed to fish the Japanese method of tenkara.

↑ Daniel Galhardo is pictured at the Tenkara USA booth at IFTD.

The man who is introducing the concept of tenkara fishing to the US says he is ‘ecstatic’ after winning an award at the IFTD Show.

Daniel Galhardo first publicly introduced the Japanese method of fishing at the Somerset Fly Show in January this year, but says it came of age with its success in the Best Gift Item category of the awards in Reno, Nevada, last week.

He said: “This was important recognition that Tenkara USA has successfully introduced tenkara to those at IFTD and made inroads within the fly fishing industry. I felt ecstatic to win the award.

“Three years ago no-one had heard of tenkara, but at IFTD it was probably one of the most popular buzzwords.

“Our intention at this year’s show was to educate those in the industry – media and retailers – about tenkara and we certainly accomplished that during our appearances on the casting ponds and at one-on-one demonstrations.”

Galhardo added that – apart from winning the award – the highlight of the show for him was the time he spent teaching fly fishing legend, Joan Wulff, about the new style of fishing.

Tenkara is the traditional Japanese method of fly fishing where only a rod, line and fly are used.

It is about fly fishing simplicity and features eleven to fourteen feet rods that allow anglers to fish mountain streams in a way that is nearly impossible with traditional western-style fly gear.

The telescopic rods collapse down to a mere 20 inches, making them ideal for backpacking.